Electrical Forward-Moving Assistant Apparatus

ABSTRACT

An electrical forward-moving assistant apparatus comprised of a housing, a motor, a battery unit, a propeller, a housing mounting fixture and a battery mounting fixture. The housing forms a watertight chamber. The housing mounting fixture is installed onto the housing to position the housing on one end of a cylinder body. The motor is installed inside the watertight chamber and connected to the propeller by a shaft which extends through the housing to provide thrust. The battery unit mounted on the cylinder body by the battery mounting fixture is connected to the motor via an electrical wire.

This application claims the benefit of priority based on Taiwan Patent Application No 104201469, filed on Jan. 30, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention is regarding an electrical forward-moving assist apparatus. More precisely speaking, this invention is regarding an ultra-compact, low drag in water, hands-free and easy-to-install electrical forward-moving assist apparatus.

2. Descriptions of the Related Art

In prior art, diver propulsion vehicle requires user to hold the vehicle by hand to operate. This inconvenience greatly limited user's ability to perform other function. Also, during use underwater, a hand-held type vehicle could drift away unnoticed if left on the sea floor beside diver.

For this reason, prior art as depicted in FIG. 1, the diver propulsion device 1 utilizes a mounting bracket 108 for installing onto the side of the cylinder body 109. Even though diver propulsion device 1 in FIG. 1 can be operated hands-free, but its profile increased drag in water, and thus become user's burden when the vehicle lost its propulsion power due to low battery or malfunction. Besides, because the diver propulsion device 1 is installed away from the center of gravity of the cylinder body 109, the device generate significant amount of torque to flip the user toward one side. Furthermore, the structure of diver propulsion device 1 is exposed and thus can be entangled by objects or cause damage to environment underwater.

Besides, the prior arts consider battery as an item which can only have basic geometry shape such as cylinder or box. The exterior shape of the diver propulsion device is developed primarily based on the shape of the battery, causing the envelop dimension to become large or long. Excessive size and weight subsequently become a burden too much for many divers to carry. Please refer to the multifunctional diver propulsion device in FIG. 2. Because the shape of the diver propulsion device 2 is developed based on the usual shape of most commonly available batteries 24, the battery chamber 242 became large and long. It simply cannot be light and compact enough for divers to carry easily.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary purpose of this invention is to provide an electrical forward-moving assistant apparatus which comprises of a housing, a motor, at least one battery unit, a propeller, a housing mounting fixture and at least one battery mounting fixture. Said housing forms a watertight pressure-resistant sealed internal space. Said at least one housing mounting fixture is placed outside of said housing to install said housing onto one end of a cylinder body. Said Motor is placed inside said sealed internal space and connect with said propeller outside said housing (in the opposite direction away from said housing). Said battery unit is installed onto said cylinder body, said housing, or said buoyancy control device (BCD) by said at least one battery mounting fixture. Said battery unit supplies power to the motor by connecting with the at least one electrical wire.

In summary, the electrical forward moving assistant apparatus can be easily attached and detached onto the diver's equipment, such as scuba tank or BCD, and thus does not require hand-held to operate. Its compact profile based on making the shape of housing conforms to the shape of the equipment and the battery shape conforms to the shape of the housing creates a very compact structure which is easy to carry, low drag in water and light weight on land.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a prior art diver propulsion device;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a prior art multifunctional diver propulsion device;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the first embodiment of an electrical forward-moving assist apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a partial, schematic view of the first embodiment of the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the first embodiment of the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the second embodiment of an electrical forward-moving assist apparatus;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the third embodiment of an electrical forward-moving assist apparatus;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the fourth embodiment of an electrical forward-moving assist apparatus;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the fifth embodiment of an electrical forward-moving assist apparatus;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the sixth embodiment of an electrical forward-moving assist apparatus;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the seventh embodiment of an electrical forward-moving assist apparatus;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the eighth embodiment of an electrical forward-moving assist apparatus;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the ninth embodiment of an electrical forward-moving assist apparatus;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the tenth embodiment of an electrical forward-moving assist apparatus;

FIG. 15 is a partial, schematic view of the tenth embodiment of the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus;

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of a battery unit of the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus;

FIG. 17 is another schematic view of a battery unit of the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus; and

FIG. 18 to FIG. 22 are schematic views of an electrical forward-moving assist apparatus of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the following description, this invention will be explained with reference to embodiments thereof. However, the description of these embodiments is only for purposes of illustration rather than limitation. It should be appreciated that in the following embodiments and attached drawings, elements unrelated to this invention are omitted from depictions; and dimensional relationships among individual elements in the attached drawings are illustrated only for ease of understanding, but not to limit the actual scale.

Please refer to FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5, an electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 the first embodiment of this invention is consists of a housing 31, a motor 32, a propeller 33, a battery unit 34 and a housing mounting fixture 35. The housing 31 is installed onto one end of a cylinder body 30 by the housing mounting fixture 35, such as the bottom side of the cylinder body 30. The drag when operating underwater did not increase since the propulsion vehicle is mounted directly behind one end of the cylinder body. The housing 31 is consisted of one housing chamber 312 and housing cover 313 which together form a watertight pressure-resistant sealed internal space. The Motor 32 is installed inside said the sealed internal space. Under normal circumstances, the cylinder body 30 is a scuba tank with a tank boot 301 attached to the bottom. The shape of the housing cover 31 conforms to the external shape of the tank boot 301 or bottom of the scuba tank 30. The battery 34 is installed onto the cylinder body 30 by a battery mounting fixture, such as a strap, a latch or a locking pin.

In this embodiment, the battery 34 has an elongated shape. Said battery unit 34 is mounted onto the cylinder body 30 by a strap 36, for example, the strap 36 commonly found on a BCD 302. The battery 34 is electrically connected and provides electricity to motor 32 or motor controller 39 by an electrical wire 37.

Inside the housing cover 313, a bearing seat 3131 can be installed to position a bearing 322. One end of a motor rod 321 is placed inside the bearing seat 3131 to ensure its smooth running. In this embodiment, a rib structure 314 formed outside the housing body 31 to allow water passage to propeller 33 and provide protection against entanglement. A propeller guard 315 is placed to the bottom end of the housing 31 to reduce possibility of external impact during use. The propeller guard 315 can also support the weight of the entire setup and maintain upright. The motor rod 321 passes through a through hole 3121 on the housing 31 and connects with the propeller 33 by a propeller rod 331.

In this embodiment, the motor shaft 321 directly connects with the propeller shaft 331 and then connects with propeller 33. The motor 32 electrically connects with a control switch 326 mounted on the housing 31 to control the power on/off and speed of the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3.

The electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 is installed onto the cylinder body 31 by the housing mounting fixture 35 which can be at least one latch 351 that connect housing 31 to the tank boot 301. Said tank boot 301 has a cylindrical rim 3011, an opening 3012 and multiple side ribs 3013 and bottom ribs 3014. No need for redundant description, other mechanical means, such as screw or locking pin, can also be used to connect the housing 31 and tank boot 301.

Please refer to FIG. 6, the battery 34 in the second embodiment of this invention is elongated in shape. The battery 34 is installed onto the cylinder body 30 by a latch 61 and electrically connects the motor 32 or motor controller 39 by the electrical wire 37.

Please refer to FIG. 7, in the third embodiment of this invention, the battery 34 of the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 is elongated in shape. The battery 34 is mounted onto the cylinder body 30 by a first strap 361 and a second strap 363. The battery 34 is electrically connected to the motor 32 or motor controller 39 by the electrical wire 37.

Please refer to FIG. 8, in the fourth embodiment of this invention, the battery 34 of the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 is elongated in shape. The battery 34 is installed onto the cylinder body 30 by a mounting piece 81 and a pin 83. The battery 34 is electrically connected to the motor 32 or motor controller 39 by the electrical wire 37.

Please refer to FIG. 9, in the fifth embodiment of this invention, the shape of the battery 34 of the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 adapts to the contour of the top of the cylinder body 30. The battery 34 is mounted onto the cylinder body 30 by the above mentioned mechanical means. The battery 34 is electrically connected to the motor 32 or motor controller 39 by the electrical wire 37.

Please refer to FIG. 10, in the sixth embodiment of this invention, the shape of the battery 34 of the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 adapts to part of exterior shape of the housing 31. The battery 34 is mounted onto the housing 31 by the above mentioned mechanical means. The battery 34 is electrically connected to the motor 32 or motor controller 39 by the electrical wire 37.

Please refer to FIG. 11, in the seventh embodiment of this invention, the battery 34 of the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 adapts to part of exterior shape of the components of the BCD 302. The battery 34 is installed onto the BCD 302 by the above mentioned mechanical means. The battery 34 is electrically connected to the motor 32 or motor controller 39 by the electrical wire 37.

Please refer to FIG. 12, in the eighth embodiment of this invention, the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 consists of multiple battery units 341, 343 and multiple electrical wire 371, 372. The battery unit 341 electrically connects to the motor 32 or motor controller 39 shown in FIG. 4 by the electrical wire 371. The battery unit 343 electrically connects to the motor 32 or motor controller 39 shown in FIG. 4 by the electrical wire 373.

Please refer to FIG. 13, in the ninth embodiment of this invention, the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 is similar to the eighth embodiment except it further consists of a battery connector 38. The battery units 341, 343 electrically connect to the battery connector 38 by the electrical wires 371, 373. The motor 32 or motor controller 39 electrically connects to the battery connector 38 via a wire 381 to receive power from the battery unit 341 or the battery unit 343.

Please refer to FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, in the tenth embodiment of this invention, the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 is similar to the eighth embodiment except it further consists of a battery switch 41 and an internal battery unit 43. The battery units 341, 343 respectively electrically connect to the battery switch 41 by the electrical wires 371, 373. The battery switch 41 electrically connects to the internal battery unit 43 shown in FIG. 15 and the motor 32 or motor controller 39 as well. The motor 32 or motor controller 39 receives power from the battery units 341, 343 or internal battery unit 43 by the battery switch 41.

Please refer to FIG. 16, the battery unit 34 in above mentioned embodiments comprises of multiple battery modules 3411, 3413 and a battery management device 3415. The battery modules 3411, 3413 can be one single battery cell or several battery cells. The battery modules 3411, 3413 are individually electrically connected to the battery management device 3415 and then to the electrical wire 37. The battery units 341, 343 are similar in structure to the battery unit 34. Besides, the battery unit 34 in this invention does not have to include the battery management device 3415 as a built-in device. The battery modules 3411, 3413 can electrically connect to the electrical wire 37 directly.

Please refer to FIG. 17, each of the above mentioned battery units 34, 341, 343 further consists of a power supply terminal 3417. User can use their appliance by drawing power via the power supply terminal 3417 from the battery units 34, 341, 342.

Please refer to FIG. 18, the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 in the above mentioned embodiment further consists of a controller 181 and a control wire 183 which are used to control the motor 32 or motor controller 39 shown in FIG. 4. Also, the control wire 183 can serve as a pull cord for kill switch which allows the user to pull and breakup the power from the battery when necessary.

Please refer to FIG. 19, the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 in the above mentioned embodiment further comprises of a controller pocket 185 which is mounted on the housing 31 for storing the controller 181.

Please refer to FIG. 20, the above mentioned electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 can further include a controller retriever 187 which is mounted on the housing 31 for containing the controller 181 and retrieving the control wire 183.

Please refer to FIG. 21, the above mentioned electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 can further include a wireless controller 191.

Please refer to FIG. 22, the electrical forward-moving assist apparatus 3 can be installed onto the front end of the cylinder body 30, more specifically speaking, around tank valve of the scuba tank. In this setup, the electrical forward moving assist apparatus 3 is mounted to cylinder body 30 by a mounting piece, but nonetheless serve as a latch to fasten the unit onto cylinder body.

To sum up, this invention is an electrical forward-moving assist apparatus that is easy to be mounted onto a cylinder body. It is a compact, low drag in water, easily detachable type non-hand held electrical forward moving assist apparatus. By such design, this invention can effectively overcome many issues related to the use of electrical forward moving assist apparatus in the prior art.

The above embodiments merely give the detailed technical contents of the present invention and inventive features thereof, and are not to limit the covered range of the present invention. People skilled in this field may proceed with a variety of modifications and replacements based on the disclosures and suggestions of the invention as described without departing from the characteristics thereof. Nevertheless, although such modifications and replacements are not fully disclosed in the above descriptions, they have substantially been covered in the following claims as appended. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An electrical forward-moving assist apparatus, comprising: a housing for forming a watertight pressure-resistant sealed internal space; a propeller; a motor, installed inside the sealed internal space, connecting to the propeller by a shaft through from the housing; at least one housing mounting fixture being outside the housing and used to mount the housing onto one end of a cylinder body; at least one battery mounting fixture; and at least one battery unit, mounted onto the cylinder body by the at least one battery mounting fixture, electrically connecting to the motor via at least one electrical wire.
 2. The electrical forward-moving assist apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one battery mounting fixture is one of at least one strap, a latch and a locking pin.
 3. The electrical forward-moving assist apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one strap comprises a first strap and a second strap.
 4. The electrical forward-moving assist apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one battery unit comprises a plurality of battery units, the at least one electrical wire comprises a plurality of electrical wires, the motor electrically connects to the battery units via the electrical wires to receive power from the battery units.
 5. The electrical forward-moving assist apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a battery connector, wherein the at least one electrical wire comprises a plurality of electrical wires, the at least one battery unit comprises a plurality of battery units electrically connecting to the battery connector via the electrical wires, and one of the motor electrically connects to the battery connector via a wire to receive power from the battery units.
 6. The electrical forward-moving assist apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an internal battery unit and a battery switch outside the housing, wherein the motor receives power from one of the at least one battery unit and the internal battery unit by the battery switch.
 7. The electrical forward-moving assist apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one battery unit comprises a plurality of battery modules electrically connecting to each other, and the at least one electrical wire electrically connects to one of the battery modules.
 8. The electrical forward-moving assist apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one battery unit comprises a battery management device and a plurality of battery modules electrically connecting to each other, and the battery modules and the at least one electrical wire electrically connect to the battery management device.
 9. The electrical forward-moving assist apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one battery unit comprises a power supply terminal, and an appliance draws power via the power supply terminal from the at least one battery unit.
 10. The electrical forward-moving assist apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a controller and a control wire, wherein the controller electrically connects to the motor to control the motor.
 11. The electrical forward-moving assist apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a controller pocket mounted on the housing, wherein the motor electrically connects to the controller via the controller pocket and the control wire.
 12. The electrical forward-moving assist apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the controller pocket contains the controller and retrieves the control wire.
 13. The electrical forward-moving assist apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a wireless controller for controlling the motor.
 14. An electrical forward-moving assist apparatus, comprising: a housing for forming a watertight pressure-resistant sealed internal space; a propeller; a motor, installed inside the sealed internal space, connecting to the propeller by a shaft through from the housing; at least one housing mounting fixture being outside the housing and used to mount the housing onto one end of a cylinder body; at least one battery mounting fixture; and at least one battery unit, mounted onto the housing by the at least one battery mounting fixture, electrically connecting to the motor via at least one electrical wire.
 15. An electrical forward-moving assist apparatus, comprising: a housing for forming a watertight pressure-resistant sealed internal space; a propeller; a motor, installed inside the sealed internal space, connecting to the propeller by a shaft through from the housing; at least one housing mounting fixture being outside the housing and used to mount the housing onto one end of a cylinder body; at least one battery mounting fixture; and at least one battery unit, mounted onto a buoyancy control device (BCD) by the at least one battery mounting fixture, electrically connecting to the motor via at least one electrical wire. 